EA Sports trolls Toronto Maple Leafs in NHL 26 trailer

EA Sports has stirred the pot with the release of its NHL 26 trailer, at the expense of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The trailer features ex-Leafs' star winger Mitch Marner suited up not in blue and white, but as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.

As if seeing their former star wearing different colors wasn't enough, the trailer takes a tongue-in-cheek jab at the Maple Leafs, showing Marner appearing to score against his former team.

At around the 1:16 mark of the trailer, Marner is seen working his way out of the corner to the left of goaltender Joseph Woll. He moves to his backhand and fires a shot that seems to beat Woll on the blocker side before the video cuts to a different highlight.

Marner's former Leafs teammates Max Domi, Jake McCabe, and Chris Tanev are also on the ice. Naturally, the subtle dig at the Leafs garnered reactions from fans.

Leafs fans react to highlight

One fan responded, "Not Mitch Marner scoring against the Leafs @ 1:16 (with a laughing/crying emoji)." Another cheekily added, "Looks like he missed the net. Must be the playoffs." A third commented, "We know it won't be a playoff goal."

Most fans were having fun with the storyline and didn't take the jab too seriously. Many spent time commenting on the trailer itself and hoped for improvements to NHL 26.

The trailer was not all bad news for the Maple Leafs and their fans. Star winger William Nylander is shown scoring against the team's Atlantic Division rival, the Boston Bruins. He scores on a patented wrist shot to the blocker side.

Known for his defensive game, Tanev is shown sprawling out to block a shot. Another lowlight for Leafs' fans shows up-and-coming star power forward Matthew Knies getting laid out on an open-ice hit from Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators.

Brady and brother Matthew, of the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who landed on the cover of NHL 26, are both predominant figures in the trailer. Other star NHL players featured in the video include Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan McKinnon, Alex Ovechkin, Connor Hellebuyck, and Quinn Hughes. Young stars Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, and Lane Hutson also make appearances.

EA Sports didn't miss the chance to capitalize on the NHL's biggest offseason story, Marner moving from the Maple Leafs to the Golden Knights. Two of the most anticipated Leafs' games on the schedule won't happen until January. The Leafs play in Vegas on January 15, and the Golden Knights return to play the Leafs in Toronto on January 23.

Maple Leafs' fans will hope it's their current stars filling the opposition's net and that their former star's only highlight comes from a video game.